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I will be making another graphic for the books I’ve read in December (because that was fun), but until then, here are some stats from my year end totals.

2012 YEAR END TOTALS

Total Books Read: 103

Total Pages Read:30,989

Average Books Per Month: 8.6

Average Pages Per Month: 2,582

Average Pages Per Day: 85

Most Books Read In:February (16)

Most Pages Read In: February (4,624)

COMPARED TO 2011

2 less books than 2011

6,035 less pages read

0.2less books per month

503 lesspages per month

16 lesspages per day

OTHER RANDOM STATS

Books Currently Owned: 764 (as of December 31,2012)

12% E-books

32% Hardcover

30% Children’s/Young Adult

44% To Be Read

Clearly I have a book addiction (though I think you all knew that by now). I didn’t read as many books as I’d hoped this year. I was shooting for 110. As you can see, I have almost half of my collection to read, not counting the untold books I’ve yet to buy. ;D But still, I did pretty damn good!

Like this:

I decided to try something new this month (and get off my graphic design ass). I turned my book stats into an infographic. ^_^ I love infographics and I’m pretty satisfied with my first attempt. (Click for a larger view)

5. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Read in: 4 days

Pages: 317

Quotes: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of a brain must be in want of more brains.”

“She is an unmarried woman of seven-and-twenty, and as such should expect little more than a crust of bread washed down with a cop of loneliness.”

“Angry people are not always wise.”

6. One Moment, One Morning by Sarah Rayner

Read in: 3 days

Pages: 405

7. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Read in: 4 days

Pages: 143

8. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams

Read in: 6 days

Pages: 161

Quote: “I am so hip I have difficulty seeing over my pelvis.”

9. Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters by Jane Austen and Ben Winters

Read in: 9 days

Pages: 340

Quote: “She was reserved and cold, as if having been stolen from her native village in a burlap sack and made to be servant and helpmate to an Englishman many years her senior, for some reason sat poorly with her.”

Like this:

Didn’t read as many books this year as I did last year, but hopefully I will still tie or beat the total for the year. I have so many of my own books to read, plus all the others I don’t own that I really need to try to maintain a goal of more than 100 books a year.

Now if you click the image of the book it will lead to that book’s Amazon.com page.

1. Red Mandarin Dress by Qiu Xiaolong

Read in: 4 days

Pages: 310

Quotes: “You and I are so crazy
about each other,
as if lost in the potter’s fire.
Out of a chunk
of clay, shape a you,
shape a me. Crush us
both into clay again, mix
it with water, reshape
a you, reshape a me.
So, I have you in my body and
you have me in yours too.”

“Confucius says, ‘Enjoyment of delicacy and sex is of human nature.’”

2. Ashfall by Mike Mullin

Read in: 2 days

Pages: 466

3. The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson

Read in: 1 day

Pages: 309

Quote: “Even awful people can be polite for a few minutes…any longer than that and they revert to the bastards they really are.

4. Sixty-One Nails by Mike Shevdon

Read in: 6 days

Pages: 517

5. The Road to Bedlam by Mike Shevdon

Read in: 7 days

Pages: 462

6. The Second Empressby Michelle Moran (won from LibraryThing)

Read in: 4 days

Pages: 305

7. Strangeness and Charm by Mike Shevdon

Read in: 4 days

Pages: 372

8. Dancing With Mr. Darcy by Various Authors

Read in: 3 days

Pages: 233

Quote: “Doesn’t the danger lie in entrusting our future to others?”

9. Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran

Read in: 6 days

Pages: 440

Quotes: “People are cruel at heart, so cruelty fascinates them.”

“We are all going to die. It’s what you do before that makes the difference.”

“Death is quick. What is important is the happiness that came before it.”

“We are all sorry when loss comes for us. The test of our character comes not in how many tears we shed, but in how we act after those tears have dried.”

Found a notebook from school with little poems and stories in it. I was 10 when I wrote all this…

The Haunted Castle

It all started when I was at my friend Jen’s house. We were getting ready to go Trick-or-Treating together and we heard a noise coming from the castle next door. We walked inside and the door locked itself behind us! “Good thing we brought a flashlight,” we said. Then we hear a loud scream. Suddenly we saw a mummy. We bolted for the door, but it was still locked!

The mummy was right behind us! We had to do something fast! Then the mummy grabbed Jen and took her away! I grabbed the flashlight from Jen and I followed the mummy. I found Jen and she was locked in a dungeon! Luckily I found the key under some hay.

I unlocked Jen’s chains and we ran to where the mummy was and poured water on him and he melted.

We ran out of the castle and went as far away as we could. Then we went Trick-or-Treating together. Finally I dropped Jen of and I went home to bed.

The End.

Oh my. Good thing we were such resourceful girls, magically finding water to pour on that mummy. And I guess his death must have unlocked the front door. I also liked where we ran as “far away as we could” even though apparently Jen lived next door to the mummy. Nothing could stop us from trick-or-treating! :]

Thanksgiving [Acrostic poem]

Turkey is tender on Thanksgiving.
“Hi!” I say to my family members.And the cranberry is great.Nobody fusses that day.Kids like to play with me.Some people eat until they are full.Giving is another thing my family does.I eat a whole bunch of food.Visiting is also something we do that day.
“Is the turkey done?” I ask.Nothing can stop me from eating.Giving is a tradition for me.

I distinctly remember struggling to write this poem. Good thing I came up with gems like “And the cranberry is great.” and “Nothing can stop me from eating.” Hahahaha

The Secret Song

Who saw the owl
in the night?
I, said the wolf
Without any light.

Who saw the fog creep
over the sea?
I, said the crow,
Only me.

Who saw the beautiful
sea turn into foam?
I, said the fish.
All alone.

Who saw the coral
on the shore grow?
I, said the crab
Who would know?

Who saw the baby
bird cry?
I, said the fox,
The mouse and I.

I imagine this format (and possibly subject matter) was inspired by another poem we were studying. I don’t think I came up with this all on my own.

The Family Car

Hi! I’m Charlie the family car. I also have a friend named Herbert. Ever since I was made I’ve known Herbert. Sometimes we see each other on the road. My owner’s are John the father, Darri the mom, Jennifer the daughter, and Chris the son. Anyway, today John is going to take me to Papa Gino’s. That makes me feel good because I’m used every Tuesday. I was red, but now I’m black.

The Next Day

Today I’m feeling sad. I’m sad because at this very moment I’m at a car sale. My family gave me up because last night I wouldn’t go anywhere. I miss Herbert alot.

Two Days Later

My family took me back after I got repared!

I’m so happy! Now every Thursday my owners go to Herbert’s house. I live a very happy life now. Well I have to go to soccer practice now.

Bye!

T H E E N D

The mind of a car is less of a mystery now. ;D

The Three Men [A Limerick]

There once was a man named Larry
And his back was every so hairy
He had a friend named Moe
And another named Joe
And they all looked ever so scary

The House

One dark and stormy night two kids were walking by the old, abandoned house when they heard a noise coming from the house. So they decided to go in. They saw something lurking in the shadows. They saw it and screamed. The two kids were never seen again.

(Two Months Later)

“So Joe, do you want to go to the mall with me?” asked Nancy.

“Well I guess so,” replied Joe. So Nancy and Joe headed to the mall and on their way they saw Sue.

“Hey Sue! Over here.” shouted Nancy. Sue turned around.

“Do you want to come to the mall with us?” questioned Nancy.

“Sure.” said Sue. So all three of them headed off to the mall. As they were walking they passed the old abandoned house. They heard a strange noise coming from inside the house.

“What’s that noise?” asked Sue.

“I don’t know. It’s coming from that haunted house.” said Joe.

“Let’s go check it out.” replied Nancy. So Nancy, Joe, and Sue went into the old house.

“Yuck!” It smells like rotten eggs in here!” replied Nancy.

“The is coming from upstairs.” said Joe. The kids headed up the stairs to the attic. When they got upstairs to the attic they saw this strange figure lurking in the shadows. It was getting closer, and closer. Sue found a flashlight on the floor and shined it on the shadow. It was a cat. The cat walked up to Nancy and purred.

“Hello kitty.” said Nancy in a soft tone.

“Well maybe we should go down and check out the basement. Now that we know nothing is up here can we move on?!” asked Joe (who was getting a little bored.)

“O.K.” said Nancy. She gave the cat a kiss on the head then then followed Sue, and Joe down the stairs. In no time they were in the basement. It was dark and damp…very damp.

“The noise is coming from over there.” said Joe as he pointed in front of them.

“It’s getting dark out, maybe we should come home.” said Sue who was getting a little scared.

“Now way.” replied Joe. Then all of a sudden they saw it. It was coming closer and this time it wasn’t a cat. Sue shined the light on the figure.

“It’s a ghost!” screamed the kids. Sue dropped the flashlight and they all ran up the stairs and out of the house as fast as they could. When they were outside Nancy said, “I think we saw a ghost.”

“Oh yeah.” said Joe who was out of breath.

“I say we should go back tomorrow at noon and check it out again.” said Nancy who was still excited about seeing a ghost.

“Allright.” said Joe and Sue.

“We will meet at the apple tree across the street.” said Nancy. So the next day at noon they met there.

“Well, we should head in now don’t you think?” asked Nancy. The kids went back into the old house.

This time it smelled like dead rats, which didn’t smell too good. Then they head someone yell, “Help!”

It was coming from the basement. They went downstairs and they saw the ghost and the two kids that were missing two months ago! The ghost looked like Mr. Henderson, the man who died here.

“Don’t come any closer or I’ll throw the kids in the hole!” said Mr. Henderson. All of a sudden Sue took out a rock and threw it at Mr. Henderson. It hit him off the head and he fell into the hole.

“Wow! Thanks!” said the kids happily. So Joe, Sue, Nancy, and the two kids all went home and Mr. Anderson’s house was turned into the neighborhood playground.

THE END

My favorite part is where the house smelled like “dead rats” because there’s no way I would know what dead rats smelled like. I also enjoyed Mr. Henderson’s sudden name change, and the vague details of the end. I’d like to know what those two kids lived on for two months, and why Mr. H kept them alive so long. Also…what was in the hole? The positive aspect of the ghost house being turned into a playground really reflects on the karmic punishment of being a mean old ghost man. ;D

Unfortunately that’s all I have of my old stories for now. I remember in high school getting rid of a lot of notebooks, but now I wish I hadn’t because I’m sure those stories would be real gems. Maybe if I’m lucky my dad saved some more of them.

I found another gem! I think this one is even more crazy (though a little less graphic than a 15-year-old girl being burned at the stake by trolls while her friend watches). I decided to insert some comments here and there.

The Island of Adventure

As Willow stepped off the ship and onto the beach she had a feeling that someone was watching her.

“Isn’t it great honey!” exclaimed Willow’s dad.

“Yeah great.” Willow sighed.

“If you want you can go explore while I set up. But be back in time for dinner.” said her dad. [What time is dinner?]

“O.K.” said Willow.

So Willow started off into the strange looking jungle. After she had gone into the jungle a little ways she heard a rustling sound in the grass behind her. She spun around and found a boy that looked her age.

“Hi. I’m Tom and I’m 13. Who are you and how old are you?” [Can you tell that AOL chatrooms were part of my life at this time?]

“I’m Willow Rosenburg and I’m 13 too. How did you get here?” asked Willow.

“Well,” said Tom, “When I was 3 my parents were flying over the jungle and I wanted to look out the window so I stuck my head out it and started to look down at the animals and I fell out the window. [Wait…what!? Probably I hadn’t been on a plane at this point in my life, but did I really think that people cruised over the jungles with open windows and let their babies hang out them? I mean, sure, these days celebs let babies drive, but…well, maybe I was ahead of the times!]

Thank goodness I landed in some thick grass. [Yes, thank goodness!]

About an hour later a female Gorilla came and took me to her den. [I apparently loved to estimate how long it took for things to happen.]

She raised me in the jungle.” [I also probably watched Tarzan a lot at this point too.]

“What happened to your parents?” questioned Willow.

“Well I was on the other side of a bridge with the Gorillas playing in a stream when my real parents arrived on the other side. I saw them and they started to cross the bridge and I yelled to them that I’d meet them half way so I did.

After we finished saying hello and hugging, the bridge snapped and I was able to grab a board and climb up to the top, but my parents fell down off the bridge and into the sharp rocks.” said Tom sadly. [….I have no words for this situation. I was a really morbid kid!]

“Oh.” said Willow, “I’m sorry.”

“That’s o.k.” said Tom.

“Hey where are you from?” [Good old Tom, he bounces right back from sad situations.]

“I’m from New York.” sighed Willow. [People from New York sigh a lot.]

“Want to go on an adventure?” asked Tom.

“Sure,” said Willow, “but where do we go?”

“Down by the river.” said Tom.

So Willow and Tom headed down to the river.

When they go there they thought they would see a river but all they saw was a put where the river should’ve been.

“What happened to the river?” asked Willow.

“I don’t know.” said Tom with a puzzled expression.

“What’s that?” asked Willow as she pointed up river a bit.

“It looks like a giant elephant robot.” said Tom.

“Do you think that’s what drank up the river?” asked Willow.

“Yeah.” said Tom, “And I know who it belongs to.”

“Who?” questioned Willow.

“It belongs to a mad scientist named Dr. Klots. He wants to destroy this island.” answered Tom. [Anyone remember the show Doug? I assume that’s where I got the inspiration for the villain’s name.]

“Well we should go investigate.” said Willow. [Definitely.]

“O.K.” said Tom, “Follow me.”

So Willow and Tom walked through the jungle until the got to the big elephant.

“It doesn’t look like he’s here.” said Tom, while staring at the huge elephant.

“Hello Tom.” said Dr. Klots from the ear of the elephant. [I guess Tom was wrong.]

“Give back the river.” shouted Tom angrily. [I was a master of adverbs!]

Dr. Klots jumped out of the ear and landed right next to Tom.

“I’m afraid I can’t.” said Dr. Klots in an evil tone, “Not till I’m done with it. Who might this be?” [Polite villains are sexier.]

Then all of a sudden he grabbed her and jumped onto a foot of the elephant.

Before Tom could get Willow, Dr. Klots and Willow went through a metal door in the leg and then the big elephant rose up on wheels and sped away. [LOL]

Tom tried to run after the elephant but it was too fast. [Duh!]

Then Tom decided to go to the clearing where Willow was staying.

When he got there he knocked on the door and Willow’s Dad answered. [Did he build a house while the two were gone?!]

“May I help you?” asked Willow’s Dad.

“Are you the father of a girl named Willow?” asked Tom.

“Yes I am.” said Willow’s Dad, “Is something wrong?”

Meanwhile at Dr. Klots’s castle… [Suspense!]

Willow was chained to a wall. [Uhm…….]

“Let me go! Freak!” screamed Willow.

“Naughty, naughty,” said Dr. Klots, “You shouldn’t talk to you new master like that.” [Uuuuuhhhhmmmmmm….]

“New master?” asked Willow, “I’m not going to be your slave. That’s the last thing I would ever do.”

“I’m afraid you have no choice,” said Dr. Klots in a sinister tone, “If you refuse to be my slave I’ll be forced to dispose of your friend and father. Then I’ll dispose of you. If you try to escape I’ll do the same thing. However, if you remain loyal, I’ll let you friend and father live and I’ll treat you well. You’ll just help me sometimes, and others you’ll be relaxing in your chambers with your own slaves. Sound good?” [Sounds great! X_X]

“Fine.” mumbled Willow

“What? I couldn’t hear you.” asked Dr. Klots.

“FINE!” shouted Willow angrily.

And that’s it! My story ends and nothing else is written in my notebook. Now I’ll never know what happens! *tear*

Hahaha man…If I could go back and asked my childhood self what the hell I was thinking…